The Gun that Changed the World (Paperback)

Mikhail Kalashnikov

ISBN 10: 0745636926 / ISBN 13: 9780745636924

Edité par John Wiley and Sons Ltd, Oxford, 2006

A propos de cet article

Paperback. The Russian word that is most frequently spoken throughout the world isn't Lenin, gulag or perestroika, its Kalashnikov. The reason for this is simple: there are 80 million Kalashnikovs in circulation on five continents. Once invented, the AK-47 assault rifle became the most widely used weapon in the world: from Vietnam to Palestine, from Cuba to Iraq, it was at the heart of conflicts and struggles everywhere. It is the only firearm that has ever been depicted on a national flag that of Mozambique, where it symbolizes liberation. Mikhail Kalashnikov himself, who was born in 1919, here tells his life story, with the help of Elena Joly, for the first time: his deportation to Siberia with his family while still a child; his time as a soldier in a tank regiment; his invention of the worlds most famous weapon and his turbulent life under Stalin, Khrushchev, Brezhnev, Gorbachev and Yeltsin. This is a remarkable portrait of a man of ingenuity and vitality in the context of the often frightening and terribly unforgiving Russia of the twentieth century. * This is the autobiography of Mikhail Kalashnikov, the inventor of the world's most famous gun, the AK-47. * Offers a fascinating history of the weapon's development and spread throughout the world, as well as a window into the turbulent history of Russian in the twentieth century. * Contains over 30 halftones. Shipping may be from our UK warehouse or from our Australian or US warehouses, depending on stock availability.

N° de réf. du vendeur 9780745636924

Détails bibliographiques

• Titre: The Gun that Changed the World (Paperback)
• Éditeur: John Wiley and Sons Ltd, Oxford
• Date de parution: 2006
• Langue: anglais
• ISBN à 10 chiffres: 0745636926
• ISBN à 13 chiffres: 9780745636924
• Reliure: Paperback
• Édition: Edition originale
• État de l'article: new

A propos de ce titre

Synopsis

Mikhail Kalashnikov himself, inventor of the famous assault rifle, here tells his life story for the first time. The result is a remarkable portrait of a man of ingenuity and vitality in the context of the often frightening and terribly unforgiving Russia of the twentieth century.

À propos de l?auteur

Elena Joly listened to Kalashnikov as he told his story and has been careful to respect his spoken style. Born in the Soviet Union, she now lives in Paris. She was in charge of the 'Soviet section' of the French publishing house Actes Sud, and has written La Troisième Mort de Staline (1988), a series of interviews with intellectuals of the Gorbachev period.